Play this while you’re reading – bit.ly/K77oU8
and then bit.ly/nkSPq8 (courtesy - Lea ^_^)

(Opinion expressed keeping in mind the Indian Market. I would be glad to know if this holds true for your, the reader’s, country too)

Counter Strike Vs the future: Why I’m not afraid.

Public’s Death wish> 1.6 dying.
Me: Not.
Enlightenment> Beneath

Vs. Business
Every kid who steps into FPS territory gets tired of Single Player shooters after a time. We’re hardwired to compete so we search for options. Top results – 1.6, BF and COD.
Option taken – 1.6.
Why?
1. Environment – Every gaming cafe (high end or low end) has 1.6 installed and the crowd to play with. At home – you have the option of joining any Pub server or Clan server (from among 250 active servers) and that too with a crowd standing by.
2. Conditions – No special graphical requirement. Setup file is small, readily available on the internet as well as with common vendors; also the setup can be burned on to a single CD or copied to a 1GB flash drive. The game itself is easy to operate with ‘1 click and play’ mechanism. (All the above points are small variables but they are literally a huge deal considering the trouble you have to go through to get and install other competitive FPS shooters which won’t run on low end desktops or laptops)

Now once you’ve significantly learnt the game the next step is joining or creating a clan following immediately which you take part in tournaments. You win some, you lose some. And you converse directly with other players and indirectly with SPONSORS.
Now sponsors – in layman terms- worry only about the crowd. The more, the better. The more the players and spectators, the better return on being associated professionally with such an event.
The indirect publicity along with the direct revenue generated when people buy the ‘gear’ of their favourite player. Also, the revenue generated from other companies whom the organizing sponsors have allowed to setup their stalls to showcase products. Etc.
No threat of slack business. Why? Cause 1.6 has now become a legacy and in a very small way its reaching the sentiment where gamers flock to tournaments as some attend a Cricket or a Football match. No other game has been able to draw so much of blood as 1.6 has.

Vs. People
My top reasons to play 1.6 relentlessly -
1. Realistic while not strangling the game – The description of the game on its official site holds it as a reality portraying game and it does justice to what has been cited BUT sometime during the development of the game the creators understood that while binding the game to be ‘strictly realistic’ provides the player with an actual understanding of combat, the game play would be far less enjoyable and slow. So they incorporated part ‘fantasy’ into it by making small changes which allow the experienced player to manipulate movements and the environment. Turns out these small changes are part of the reason why people still play 1.6 over other FPS shooters.
2. Replayability - The beauty of Counter Strike is that you can never say “I’m perfect”. There is always ALWAYS the scope to improve more and learn something new. People are discovering ‘new’ wallbang spots, nading points, boost jumps, strats; 8 years after the game started realising its full potential and all that – primarily on 4 maps. (Isn’t that something)
3. Competition – There is always plenty and it keeps evolving with time. Teams with new strats, players with shooting skills better than you, players with better game sense etc. Devising new strats and finding out loopholes in the opposition’s tactics and exploiting them immediately while the match is going on or deciding a counter attack afterwards during the after-match discussions. It also tests your mental stamina, reflexes and adaptability.
4. Teamwork – No wonder mTw decided on a name which reflects the true essence of winning a match. You can have inhuman shooting skills but all of it comes down to synchronized teamwork between the players, just like in an orchestra.
5. Other reasons – In a childish way when I’m rewarded with 1.6’s headshot animation; it just completes the kill for me. I think most of you won’t disagree when I say that we don’t really give a fuck about the real physics of how a body falls after getting a headshot, it should just feel visually kick ass like “YEAAAAHHHHHHHH I KILLED YOU RAND (whore)!!!”
Also the wallbanging – it just adds new meaning to killing. Its such a pleasure killing someone without seeing them but on the basis of sometimes sound, sometimes sense, sometimes random. And you’re not just shooting blindly; there is precise learning of spots and implementation. Also you can discover your own ‘never seen before’ wallbang spots.
Moves like – crouch walk, bhopping, long jumps, quick scoping, boost jumping, towers xD

[Notable - The beauty of every 1.6 competitive match involving top teams – you have 2 teams with each side having every single player skilled enough to kill the entire opposition’s team. And these players go to war :)]

Special mention of games that were really good but couldn't outlast the test of time (in my opinion, because they were futuristic FPS)- Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament (the original one)

Summing it all up I just don't know any other alternative game that is so playable, competitive, readily available and so permeated and with such a strong legacy.
I don’t believe 1.6 is dying. Not a bit.

Regards
Sujan ‘suck optical mouse’ Deswal